Apple's Sapphire-Screen iPhone Less 'If' Than 'When'

The latest rumors about Apple's plans to manufacture sapphire at a new plant in Arizona are the most credible foundation yet for speculation that the iPhone will someday boast the most scratch-resistant screen on the planet. Of course, it's not clear if the next-generation iPhone would get such a sapphire screen, or if the world would have to wait until 2015, presumably for an "iPhone 6s" model.

If the latest sapphire tech rumor is true, Apple's exclusive
manufacturing partner, GT Advanced Technologies, is gearing up its
Mesa, Ariz., manufacturing facility with enough furnaces to forge
as many as 200 million iPhone displays.

A new
investigative
report by 9to5mac.com's Mark Gurman revealing capacity and
import/export details, coupled with an SEC filing, leads to the
conclusion that GT Advanced is tooling up for extremely high volumes
of product -- exclusively for Apple.

Digging Deep

Last fall, the state of Arizona announced that Apple planned to build
a manufacturing facility that would create somewhere around 2,000 new
jobs during the creation and then maintenance of the facility, which
would include a new solar power grid. In November, GT Advanced Technologies announced
an exclusive US$578 million deal with Apple to produce sapphire
material in Arizona.

Through help from analyst Matt Margolis, Gurman reported that GT
Advanced Technologies imported two Intego Sirius sapphire display
inspection tools, which GT Advanced Technologies' website says are capable
of improving yields and lowering costs of Sapphire for high-volume
LED and touchscreen applications.

Gurman extracts his "mobile and touch screen devices" leap from a
GT
Advanced Technologies downloadable .pdf that describes the
inspection tool. (This .pdf shows up in a Google search for "sirius
slab," but I was unable to find a navigable link to it from gtat.com.)

Leap of Faith?

Presumably, GT Advanced Technologies would utilize these inspection
tools in its Arizona plant, and because the tools are capable of use
for sapphire material large enough for mobile device displays, they
would be imported for use for Apple's iPhones... or a new product,
such as the heavily rumored "iWatch."

However, Gurman acknowledged
that there may not even be a direct connection between the imported
inspection tools and the Arizona-based facility. Maybe they were
delivered there -- but perhaps intended for a different use.

In March of 2013, GT Advanced Technologies entered into an
exclusive
distribution agreement with Intego for automated sapphire
inspection tools, meaning GT Advanced Technologies could sell
the tools to anyone, not necessarily only to Apple. So the tools don't
even have to be used by GT Advanced Technologies in order to be
imported.

On the surface, this just isn't a one-to-one connection, but since
Apple reportedly is buying all the materials that go into the sapphire
plant -- contracting with GT Advanced Technologies to run it, as
Gurman noted based on an
SEC filing -- the conclusion that Apple wants the two sapphire
inspection tools is reasonable.

Baking Sapphire

Last of all, Gurman connected orders for hundreds of furnaces and
chambers, all of which -- if put to use -- could conceivably deliver
more than 103 million iPhone screens in the 5-inch range. Additional
furnaces on order could ramp the capacity of the plant past 200
million units.

All told, Gurman's digging and connections combine to create the most
credible rumor yet that Apple's iPhones could boast the most
scratch-resistant screens on the planet. Of course, it's not clear if
the next-generation iPhone would get such a sapphire screen, or if the
world would have to wait until 2015, presumably for an "iPhone 6s"
model.

MacNewsWorld columnist Chris Maxcer has been writing about the tech industry since the birth of the email newsletter, and he still remembers the clacking Mac keyboards from high school -- Apple's seed-planting strategy at work. While he enjoys elegant gear and sublime tech, there's something to be said for turning it all off -- or most of it -- to go outside. To catch him, take a "firstnamelastname" guess at WickedCoolBite.com. You can also connect with him on
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